Theresa May urging GPs to commit to seven day service

LONDON — Theresa May is urging GPs in England to extend their opening hours or risk losing funding.

In a statement issued by Downing Street, the government said GPs must stay open for longer to meet demand from patients and take some pressure off of A&E departments.

“Most GPs do a fantastic job, and have their patients’ interests firmly at heart,” the statement said, according to the BBC. “However, it is increasingly clear that a large number of surgeries are not providing the access that patients need — and that patients are suffering as a result because they are then forced to go to A&E to seek care.”

The government is urging surgeries to open seven days a week between 8am and 8pm.

However, according to Sky News, doctors are rejecting the suggestion and have accused ministers of trying to “scapegoat” GPs instead of addressing the lack of funding to the NHS.